A4 TFSI Oil Consumption and the "No-win no fee" mob.

[silentbrown]

Following the BBC "You and Yours" discovery (hah!) last week that the Audi A4 TFSI has chocolate piston rings, (and that Audi aren't doing much constructive about it), this lots have stuck their head over the parapet:

http://www.candcsolicitors.co.uk/accident-claims-s...

I have an '09 A4 which is currently using what Audi consider an acceptable amount of oil (a litre every 800 miles), but I think it won't be long before it gets to the 'rebuild needed' point. I'm also thinking of changing the car and am aware that I'm likely to get stupidly low offers on it, even with the 'acceptable' consumption at present.

Advice, please... Contact Audi? Contact the ambulance chasers? or just sit tight for now...

[Jimmyarm]

Just trade it in like most people would.

Whilst this might be slightly immoral, it is a well documented fault.

[silentbrown]

Jimmyarm said:

Just trade it in like most people would.

Well, that's part of the problem: I believe trade-in values have been depressed due to the problem.

[V8forweekends]

Just listened to the BBC You and Yours - unbelievable.

So glad I ditched my Audi.

[Trailhead]

This explains why I've seen some seriously cheap 1.8T A5s recently then!

[JTBUSH]

Had my engine rebuilt already under Bosch service centre warranty where I got the car from. No messing, they just rebuilt the engine with new rings after complaining once. Unlike Audi, the set of bds!

[Jimmyarm]

silentbrown said:

Well, that's part of the problem: I believe trade-in values have been depressed due to the problem.

This is true but it is a VAG group car, at 3-5 years old they are generally falling to pieces =)

You have two options, trade it in and take a bit of a hit on what it apparently should be worth or fix it, keep it and spend x amount fixing a!! The other issue that arise =)

Maybe I am a bit biased but, if I won a brand new Audi tomorrow I would immediately sell it and buy a ten year old amg/m car, run it for five years with the excess and be in a better position than keeping the crappy Audi/vw rubbish.

[aw51 121565]

V8forweekends said:

Just listened to the BBC You and Yours - unbelievable.

So glad I ditched my Audi.

Um, BBC are not credible - or reliable - narrators of any sort of "fact" (or even a "factoid") any more (and they haven't been such for several years now !). I really wouldn't touch any of their output with someone else'a bargepole - never mind my own!

How much oil did the early Golf/Corrado 16v engines use per 1000 miles (or 1000km, whatever they quoted)? From memory, it was more than is being quoted on this thread... (As such, maybe consider the figures being bandied about as "heritage"?? )

Nor is the TFSI "oil consumption issue" a recent issue - it's certainly not 'news'! Good old BBC 'news', eh? They'll be reporting that low mileage TFSI engines tend to have a 'benny' at relatively low miles after several years on the road in suburban driving next...

(NB This is NOT a reflection on - or a 'go' at - VAG product, rather just inappropriate car buying by the great unwashed and piss-poor reporting with a substantial time delay on issues arising from said buying of cars not suited to the use they are put to .)

PS If we're talking "no win no fee", will they be next taking on the masses who bought diesels with DPFs which clog up terminally and need costly replacement on a regular basis because the buyers never get near a motorway (and never will because they live in a big city and can't get to a motorway after the warning light comes on and before it tops itself)??

[JTBUSH]

My a4 2.0t was using a litre of oil every 200 miles. How inappropriate car buying/ driving could lead to that rather than a fundamental design or manufacturing flaw is a bit of a mystery.

[Crapgame]

My A6 C6 gen 2.4 used a litre every 1000 miles

800 isnt that much worse but 200 miles is extracting the urine

[anonymous-user]

Whatever people say about this is not a new problem or the bbc twist the story, the attitude that audi present to people is the real problem.

Engines consuming oil is a well known sign of sigificant wear or fault and audis attitude when they call it an issue is the problem. Audi know full well there is a fault but don't want to admit it because of the liability they will have.

Having dealt with Audi and put up with this attitude I really hope the ambulance chasers give them a really good kick where it hurts because they damn well deserve it. They are so arrogant they rightly deserve a serious crash landing and I will cheering when it happens.

[silentbrown]

aw51 121565 said:

a load of guff.

a : So you don't like the BBC. Alternatives? Daily Express?

b: You can't remember how much oil Corrado engines used: If you had to put oil in more often than petrol, you'd probably have remembered it.

c: Yes, it's "old news" for you: But at 4-5 years/50000 miles the majority of the affected models are only now reaching the point where the problem seems to occur.

d: "Inappropriate car buying by then great unwashed" WTF! The word you so desperately want to use is plebs.

What do you think is inappropriate, anyhow? The fault is totally unrelated to owner's driving behaviour (or indeed, ability to know when to use a fish-knife)

e: Will solicitors take on DPF issues? Well, there's a possible element of 'mis-selling' for some buyers, and car dealers are of course regulated by the FSA. (Yes. I know that's for finance and insurance purposes rather than the car itself. But I'm sure class actions have succeeded on much flimsier grounds)

[/rant]

[xxChrisxx]

Trailhead said:

This explains why I've seen some seriously cheap 1.8T A5s recently then!

The old 20v turbo engines were nigh on bulletproof, even when they have been breathed on. It's the TFSI's that replaced them that are the problem.

[Crafty_]

JTBUSH said:

My a4 2.0t was using a litre of oil every 200 miles. How inappropriate car buying/ driving could lead to that rather than a fundamental design or manufacturing flaw is a bit of a mystery.

Easy, accountants get involved.

Trailhead said:

This explains why I've seen some seriously cheap 1.8T A5s recently then!

Nope, its the 2 litre TFSI engine that has the issue.

[briang9]

Jimmyarm said:

This is true but it is a VAG group car, at 3-5 years old they are generally falling to pieces =)

my VAG Group car has just turned 12 and still doing very well, any evidence to support your claim?

Edited by briang9 on Thursday 25th December 01:07

[Crafty_]

briang9 said:

my VAG Group car has just turned 12 and still doing very well, any evidence to support your claim?

Edited by briang9 on Thursday 25th December 01:07

Older stuff is better. Newer stuff, not so good. Stick with your old car as long as possible.

[Jim1556]

Jimmyarm said:

This is true but it is a VAG group car, at 3-5 years old they are generally falling to pieces =)

My Octy vRS TDI will be 3 in January, it's been faultless so far during it's 80,000 miles - I doubt very much it'll implode over the next 2 years...

[jgy6000]

Just to clarify, is is it all 2.0 TFSI engines? The one in my seat uses a little oil, nothing drastic though.

[rigga]

Audi arnt the only ones burying their heads in the sands and denying any fault with their products, the prince range of engines fitted to mini's, citroens and Peugeot motor's, all love to consume oil, mini say 1000 miles per liter is perfectly acceptable, on a car that has a 20k service interval, no need to bother as it gets changed by itself.
Dealer attitude is "performance engine so yes it consumes oil "

[Crafty_]

My standard rant at the moment:

All modern cars are an utter liability. Manufacturers are cutting costs to the bone and scrimping wherever they can on engineering quality. At the same time they keep adding more and more crappy gadgets we don't need. Electric tailgates ? electric handbrakes ? lane detect ? self parking cars ? steer by wire, "smart" headlights that change beam patterns, tyre pressure monitors and so on.

All the time prices are increasing, £35k+ for a golf FFS. A half decent hatch is at the thick end of 25k now.

Just stop. Build solid cars that are dependable and reliable, forget all the stupid gizmos, it wont kill us to yank a handbrake lever or actually pay attention to which lane we're driving in.

Anything under 4 or 5 years old is a complete liability out of warranty. The next thing is they'll be flogging us hybrid cars, with complicated regen/energy store systems. What are the chances of that not being 1) Massively expensive for me and 2) reliable ? Pretty low I'd say.